VitalSource TechnologiesReviews of vitalsource.com

I paid $899 for course materials delivered via VitalSource Bookshelf and then got locked out. That means zero access to paid content. Support was worse than the bug. The agent repeatedly sent the same scripted responses (“engineering will fix within 24h / Tier 2 will respond”) and kept trying to close the chat (“Is there anything else?”) while I still had no access. I asked multiple times for a clear SLA/timeline and for the complaints procedure/contact so I could escalate properly — instead I was told to just wait. This is time-critical exam study material. Being locked out is bad enough, but being stonewalled when asking for basic escalation details is unacceptable.

This platform is hopeless. The printing capability is hopeless, and overall is about as user-unfriendly as you can get. Publishers who direct customers to Vital Source will alienate customers instantly

I had a TERRIBLE experience with Vital Source. I purchased a textbook for my course, verified my email for my account, accessed my readings, and started my assignment due the next day. The following morning, when I went to finish my reading and assignment, I was asked to again log in and verify my email a second time. No email was sent/no email came through. I contacted the Help Desk because at this point my assignment was due in just over 30 minutes. The Help Desk sent me an email to verify my email once again, it came through, and I replied to verify. The Help Desk said they fixed the problem, but when I went to log in I got the same error asking me to again verify my email but no email came through. I asked the Help Desk if they could fix the problem. They said they could not and asked why I was typing in all caps. I said because no refund is going to make right the fact that my first class assignment is now going to be marked down as late/incomplete because their platform is broken, they can't fix it, and all they are doing is offering my a refund. DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE if you need to be able to access the materials you paid for.

I have been forced to use this as a student for years. The pages do not match the actual paper text. The AI reads like 1996. The AI chatbox is also awful. For the amount we pay for book rental in digital format. My book should work No one answers the phones. The "agent" is not a person it is a computer too. Nothing beats being lied to by a forced academic platform. Bravo.

Their app does not work; when I opened it, it wouldn't download the books I paid for. When I contacted support, I was met with an AI chatbot. After I convinced the chatbot that I was indeed connected to the internet (otherwise how would I be communicating with it) and that I was signed in, it forwarded me to what it calls a 'team member.' This team member has to be AI too, because they are literally copying and pasting information from the website and not looking at the pictures I'm sending. They kept insisting I should 'please kindly download the Bookshelf application' even though I had already sent them a picture of the application running on my machine. They literally have to be AI to be this stupid; they talk about buttons that don't exist and don't respond to anything you write. The only reason a company as abhorrent as this one can exist is because of corruption and copyright laws.

Awful app Refuses to allow print or save. UI is dreadful and has hastily been put together. Has impeded my studies and will now move platforms to accommodate.

Terrible App Constantly Have to refresh Cannot find the books I purchase No specific contact information aside from their equally terrible chatbot

Our school recently signed on with VitalSource. I requested Connect access for 2 of my classes, and Perusall textbook access for another. Despite assuring us that would be fine prior to using VitalSource, it's end of the first week of class and NONE of my students can access any course materials. I have repeatedly emailed VitalSource asking about it, and got back a short note with a link to FAQs that had nothing to do with my question. I would absolutely not recommend using Vital Source.